The Global Marshall Plan Conference

Search for Common Ground, with cooperation from the Consensus Building Institute and support from the Arca Foundation, convened policymakers, academics, non-governmental officials, and private sector entrepreneurs to participate in a unique process to confront the challenge of global poverty. The Global Marshall Plan Conference, inspired by the spirit of the Marshall Plan, which provided resources to rebuild Western Europe after World War II, is the first step in this initiative. The Conference took place June 6-8, 2003 on Saint Simons Island, Georgia.

The organizers conceptualized the Conference due to the broad acceptance that current international development efforts are unlikely to substantially improve the quality of life for the majority of people living at the margins around the world. To improve the effectiveness of the Conference, SFCG and CBI conducted a strategic assessment of 40 professionals identified with the field of development. The goal of the Global Marshall Plan Conference is to search for ways to harness the power of innovation and entrepreneurship to achieve dramatic improvements in development. The conference will focus on how private actors and markets, government agencies and policies, and civil society groups can collaborate to generate new ideas and actions that deliver substantial economic, social, and environmental gains. A strong emphasis will be placed on poverty reduction with the goal of identifying a wide range of approaches and determining the ways in which each approach can have maximum impact.

GMPC Preview
A four-page preface to the Conference including a description of recent background interviews, generalized conference goals, topical organization, and broad plans for follow-up. Available in word format and PDF format.

Agenda
A chronological schedule of events for Friday, June 6 through Sunday, June 8. Available in word format and PDF format.

Examples of Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Development
A list of eleven international examples to provide a starting point for participant reflection and discussion. Available in word format and PDF format.

Strategic Assessment Report
A ten-page write-up summarizing expert responses to questions on background, focus, and future goals of the GMPC. Available in word format and PDF format.

Final Conference Report

List of Conference Participants

Nine month update report (posted March 16, 2004). View as a MS Word document or as a PDF document.

For more information on the Global Marshall Plan Initiative, please contact Karen Zehr, at kzehr@sfcg.org.

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